The Lightning Thief (Annabeth's Perspective)
by annabethchase3
Summary: The Lightning Thief but in Annabeth's Perspective. It will be a lot like the book but also a lot different. Please read and comment! Rated T just in case.
1. I Meet the New Kid

Ch. 1

I Meet The New Kid

My name is Annabeth Chase. I didn't ask to be a demigod. I didn't ask to be almost getting killed every 5 minutes. But here I was anyway, training, and training, and training. But all of the training stopped when one particular boy came into my life. His name? Percy Jackson.

Loud. That was my first thought when I was woken up. Then I realized everybody was shouting... at 1:00 in the morning? I knew something was wrong. Some of my siblings had already left the cabin. I put my hair up in a bun, slipped on some shoes, and headed out the door.

I gasped when I saw what was happening. Chiron was blocking the gate out of camp to stop kids from going to help the boy. I could still see a kid with black hair and sea green eyes fighting a what? I squinted my eyes, and saw it was a Minotaur. I rushed over to help but Chiron stopped me. "No child," He warned, "This is Percy's fight."

_ Percy? _I looked up at him. Then the whole camp fell silent. I looked over and saw the Minotaur roaring, but not from delight, from pain! The boy had killed _the _Minotaur. I glanced at Chiron and saw he had a small smirk on his face. "Leave, everyone. The show is over," But he looked at me when he said this and I reads his expression. _Stay. _I nodded slightly. All the campers stared to go their separate ways. Chiron pulled me aside and pointed. Percy, who had fallen to his knees when the fight had ended, was slowly starting to get up. He grabbed Grover, and started mumbling. "Mom. Mom, please, come back! Mom!"

"I looked at Chiron, "Wha-?"

He put a finger up to his lips, and pointed to the scene, motioning for me to just watch. Percy had started heading towards the big house. He got to the porch and collapsed. Chiron and I rushed over there and stopped, staring down at him. A dryad came to collect Grover. I stared at the new kid's face. A jolt went through me, as I stared at him.

"He's the one! He must be!" I said.

"Silence, Annabeth," Chiron said, "He is still conscious. Bring him inside."


	2. I Nurse A Drooling Kid Back To Health

Hey guys! I'm really sorry the last one was so short. I promise this one will be longer. I wrote the 1st chapter at 6:00 in the morningJ Please comment if you think there's anything I could do better or different. This is my first fanfic so I'm sorry if it's really bad L Hope you like this chapter!

Ch. 2

I Nurse a Drooling Kid Back to Health

I spent the next three days taking care of Percy. It was awful! I couldn't leave his bedside, except for at night. Also, he drooled when he slept. Gross! The first day he mumbled on and on about his mom and Grover. He didn't wake up. On the second day though… He started mumbling about something that was being stolen and that we only had until the summer solstice. Summer solstice. That was only a few weeks away! I smirked as I wiped drips of ambrosia and drool of the sides of his face. Then I realized he was trying to open his eyes! As soon as he looked awake, I pounced, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

He croaked, "What?"

I looked around making sure no one was overhearing or watching, "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," He mumbled, "I don't…"

Then I heard somebody knock and I quickly stuffed another spoonful of ambrosia in his mouth. He fell back asleep quickly.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "Argus is going to help Percy now. You need a break. How is his condition?"

"Better," I said. "He just woke up a few minutes ago, but fell right back asleep," I didn't want to tell them about my conversation with Percy, and what I had heard. It didn't seem right. At least… not right now.

"Good," He smiled, "Now, go tell Malcolm to lead your cabin into dinner. The boy is stirring. Argus will bring him to the front porch and have Grover take care of him until he wakes up. Annabeth, when you're done talking to Malcolm, meet us on the porch of the Big House.

I nodded, then walked out the door, quietly shutting it so I didn't wake Percy. Once I was out of the big house, I took off down through the meadow and headed for my cabin. I poked my head in and motioned Malcolm over.

"Can you take the Cabin to dinner again tonight? I need to do something." I asked him. Malcolm was second - in - command to me, so when I wasn't around he did everything for me.

He studied me, "Sure," He finally said. I smiled lightly in thanks and calmly walked away, heading straight for the Big House.

When I got there, Chiron and Mr. D were playing pinochle, probably, in my opinion, one of the worst games on earth, but they seemed to enjoy it. They didn't say a word to me when I got there, which was fine with me. I hated Mr. D, our camp director, and he wasn't fond of me either, so it was better if we just didn't talk to each other. I looked around and noticed two small figures in the distance. One was Grover, the satyr, but the other… Oh it was Percy. He clearly wasn't all ok, since he was stumbling around like he was drunk or something. They were walking toward us.

"Mr. Brunner!" Percy cried when he saw Chiron. _Mr. Brunner? _I thought. But Chiron just smiled at Percy like he totally knew who Mr. Brunner was.

"Ah, good, Percy. "Chiron said, "Now we have four for pinochle." He offered Percy a chair next to Mr. D and for once I actually felt bad for the kid.

Mr. D sighed, "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half - Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Uh, thanks," Percy scooted his chair a little farther away from Mr. D, and I stifled a laugh. I couldn't blame him.

"Annabeth?" Chiron called me over. He introduced us, and said, "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in Cabin Eleven for now.

I responded, "Sure, Chiron." I glanced at Percy, who was studying me, then looked down at the minotaur horn, "You drool when you sleep," Then I jogged down to Cabin Eleven, my hair flying behind me.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Percy Jackson characters (even though I wish I didJ )


	3. I Get Drenched With Toilet Water

Hey guys! This is the 3rd chapter and this one will be longer than the first and second. I would really appreciate if you could comment! I hope you like this chapter! 3

Ch. 3

I Get Drenched With Toilet Water

Really? Did I really just say that? _Idiot, idiot, idiot_, I scolded myself. I kept running, until about five feet away from cabin eleven. I slowed down, and fixed my hair, smoothing it back as best as I could. Then I took a deep breath and walked into cabin eleven.

"Annabeth!" Luke smiled and waved. Of course, I had to blush.

"Hey, Luke," I said, still blushing furiously. It was annoying, but I couldn't help it.

"What's up?" He asked. By know everyone's heads in cabin eleven were turned towards our conversation.

"I need a spot ready for a new camper," At that, the whole cabin groaned. Luke just smirked and shook his head at his cabin.

The Hermes cabin was so full, only Luke and a few others actually got to sleep on beds. The rest slept on sleeping bags. Percy would end up sleeping on a sleeping bag, as soon as Luke or one of the other Hermes' kids went and stole him one from the camp store.

"Boy or girl," Luke asked.

"Boy," I responded. Luke walked over to the right side of the cabin and pushed one sleeping bag against the wall and the other one he pushed even closer to the sleeping bag next to it.

"Hey!" Two campers in the back called up to Luke.

"Stop." Luke snapped and I looked at him in surprise. Luke never did that. He was always so calm… He turned back to me, "Thanks Annabeth. You can go now," I didn't leave. "Annabeth?" Luke asked.

"What? Oh, oh right. Bye!" A couple campers snickered when I rushed out the door and headed to cabin six, my moms cabin, Athena. A few campers were in there, but I didn't pay any attention to them. I just grabbed my book and went back to cabin eleven where Percy and Chiron were going to meet me. I sat down on the steps and opened it up. It was in Greek so I could read it faster than I could read English. I had only been reading for about five minutes when Percy and Chiron walked up. I looked up and stared at Percy. He wasn't cute or anything, it was just… his eyes… They were a deep sea green. I had never seen anything like them except for… No, it couldn't be. I had only seen Poseidon with those kind of eyes, but this guy was too much of a fool to ever be a child of the Big Three. He looked at my book and I could tell he was confused. I smirked.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told him, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Percy studied the cabin. He looked at the caduceus and then down at the campers. All the campers were bowing, since Chiron was standing in the doorway. He didn't go in though, since he was too big.

"Well then," Chiron said, "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner." He galloped away towards the archery range.

"Well?" I prompted, "Go on." Of course, he then had to trip over the doorway. The whole cabin, including me, held back laughs. No one said anything though.

I announced, " Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven,"

"Regular or undetermined?" Somebody in the back asked.

I said, "Undetermined," When I said that, everybody groaned.

Luke came forward, "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

"This is Luke," I said, and I started to blush, but Percy looked over and I hardened my expression. _Stop. _I told myself. "He's your counselor for now,"

"For now?" Percy asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all new comers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

Percy looked at his spot on the floor, then back at the campers. "How long will I be here?" He asked.

"Good question," Luke said, "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

Everyone laughed. Even Luke.

"Come on," I said. "I'll show you the volleyball court,"

"I've already seen it,"

"Come on." I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out the door. Once we were a few feet away from I said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?"

I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "I can't believe I thought you were the one." "What's you problem?" He was getting angry. "All I know is I kill some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" I told him. I was angry now. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

He shook his head. "Look if the thing I fought really was _the _Minotaur, the same one in the stories…"

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So…"

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."

"You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-" I knew he was thinking about the Fury that attacked him.

"The Fur- I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Ms. Dodds?

"You talk in your sleep."

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades torturer's right?"

I glanced nervously at the ground. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we _can_ say without it thundering?" He sounded whiny, and it was making me angry. Who did he think he was? "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." He pointed to the Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon cabins and my face paled.

"You don't just choose a cabin Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or… your parent." I stared at him, waiting for him to get it.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad.

"He's dead. I never knew him."

I sighed. I had had this conversation so many times it was getting old. "Your father's not dead, Percy."

"How can you say that? You know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say-"

"Because I know _you._ You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" I raised any eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were out of a lot of them."

"How-"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

He swallowed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read right? That's because you're mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD - you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battle-field reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course, the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like… you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar."

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

He just looked at me. I turned and saw Clarisse. _Uh-oh. _I thought.

Her husky voice yelled out, "Well! A newbie!" She was getting closer.

"Clarisse," I sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something."

"Sure Miss Princess," She said, "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"_Erre es korakas!" _I said. It was an insult in Greek that meant 'Go to the Crows!' "You don't stand a chance.

"We'll pulverize you." Clarisse said, her eye twitching. She knew she couldn't beat us. She turned toward Percy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," I said. "Meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

He blinked, "Like… the war god?"

Clarisse sneered, "You got a problem with that?"

"No." He said, recovering. "It explains the bad smell." Oh no. He should not have said that.

Clarisse growled like a wild animal, "We got a little initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse-" I tried to stop her.

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

It took all of my will not to stop her, but I did, and I could tell Percy was glad, but I don't know why. He was about to face the meanest girl at camp, who could be a monster anyway! He handed me his minotaur horn, and got ready for a fight. I didn't know what Clarisse was up to, but I did know it wasn't going to be a fight. She was going to make sure he was the only one embarrassed in this situation. Soon enough though, she had him by his neck and started pulling him along. He kicked and punched but she didn't let go. I followed, watching.

Clarisse dragged him into the girls bathroom. I put my hands over my face and watched through my fingers. Clarisse and her friends were all laughing.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material." Clarisse said. She pushed him towards one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. The Minotaur probably fell over laughing,, he was so stupid looking." All of her friends snickered.

I stood in the corner, silent.

Clarisse pushed him on his knees and started pushing my head towards the toilet bowl. He strained against her push, but I knew he was gonna lose in the end. The something happened. I don't know what he did or thought during that moment, but all I know is water shot out out of the toilet, and made a perfect arc over his head and headed straight for Clarisse. It pushed her into the showers. Her friends rushed to help, but six other toilets exploded, and the showers. One toilet headed for me, but I held my ground. The other girls, plus Clarisse, were washed out the door. As soon as they were gone, everything shut off and Percy was… dry?! I stared at him in shock. He looked down and saw.

"How did you-?" I said.

"I don't know."

We walked to the door where outside Clarisse and her friends were sprawled on the ground in a circle of mud. Her hair was flattened across her face, her jacket was sopping wet, and she smelled like sewage. She gave Percy a look of absolute hate. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

He said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

Her friends held her back and dragged her back to cabin five.

I stared at Percy. I was pretty upset about being doused with toilet water, but I also was strategizing.

"What?. He demanded. "What are you thinking?" "I'm thinking, I said, "That I want you on my team for Capture the Flag.


	4. I Finish A Tour

Ch.4

I Finish A Tour

The bathroom incident spread quickly. People stared at me and Percy, whispering about toilet water exploding. I showed him a few more places such as the metal shop, arts and crafts room, and our lava climbing wall. After about an hour, we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," I said flatly. "Dinner's at seven - thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." He knew I was mad.

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault." I looked at him skeptically. He really was an idiot, wasn't he? His face had a mixture of confusion and hurt, when it finally dawned on him that it _was _his fault.

"You need to talk to the Oracle." I said.

"Who?"

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

He looked into the lake, and waved. _Naiads._

"Don't encourage them," I warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads." He said. "That's it. I want to go home now."

I frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You _are_ home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

"I mean _not human_. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."

"Half-human and half-what?"

"I think you know."

He didn't want to admit, but he did. "God." He said. "Half-god."

I nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."

"That's…crazy."

"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

"But those are just-" He almost said myths, but he stopped himself. "But if all of the kids around here are half-gods-"

"Demigods." I said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods." "Then who's your dad?" My hand tightened around the railing. He seriously was going to ask about my dad!? I was about to say something rude back when I realized it was his first day. I decided on just sounding like I didn't really like my dad.

"My dad is a professor at West Point." I said. "I haven's seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."

"He's human."

"What? You assume it has to be a male god that finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"

"Who's your mom then?"

"Cabin six."

"Meaning?"

I straightened. I actually liked my mom. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

"And my dad?" Oh my gods. He really didn't get anything.

"Undetermined." I said. "like I told you before. Nobody knows."

"Except my mother. She knew."

"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My dad would have. He loved her."

I gave him a cautious look. It was highly unlikely that his dad told his mom that he was a god, but I also didn't want toilet water splashed all over me again. I was just starting to dry off. "Maybe you're right." I decided to play it safe. "Maybe he'll send you a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you as sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."

"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"

I ran my hand along rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always… Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."

He thought about that. "So I'm stuck here." He said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"

"It depends." I said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a very powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year -rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble - about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"So monsters can't get in here?"

I shook my head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."

"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"

"Practical fights. Practical jokes."

"Practical jokes?"

"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."

"So… you're a year-rounder?"

I nodded. I pulled a leather necklace out from under my t-shirt. It had 5 clay beads on it, and one gold college ring on it.

"I've been here since I was seven." I said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"Why did you come so young?"

I twisted my ring. "None of your business." I knew I sounded rude, but I didn't care. He didn't deserve to know. I had only known him for a day.

"Oh." We stood there in uncomfortable silence. "So… I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's and Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless…"

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time…" My voice trailed off.

"Back in the sick room." he said. "When you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia."

"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."

My shoulders tensed. "So you _do_ know something."

"Well…no. Back at my old school, I heard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of a deadline. What did that mean?"

I clenched my fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so _normal._"

"You've been to Olympus?"

"Some of us year-rounders-Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others-we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."

"But… how did you get there?"

"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." I looked at him. Shouldn't he know this? "You _are _a New Yorker, right?"

"Oh, sure." I knew he was skeptical, but I was really telling the truth.

"Right after we visited," I continued. "The weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping…I mean-Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might now something."

He shook his head. He was clearly hungry and tired.

"I've got to get a quest." I muttered to myself. "I'm _not_ too young. If they would just tell me the problem…"

The smell of barbecue smoke drifted through the camp air. I could hear Percy's stomach growl. I told him to go on, I'd catch him later. He left me on the pier, tracing my fingers on the edgings on the railing. It looked like a battle plan.


	5. The Dream

Ch. 5

The Dream

As soon as Percy was out of sight, I started towards my cabin. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. _6:50. _Ten minutes until dinner. I ran the rest of the way back to my cabin and got there just in time. Malcolm was already lining them up for dinner.

"Annabeth!" He said. "You want to-?" He gestured at the line of campers.

"Sure." I shrugged, and turned towards the campers, doing a quick head count. Perfect. Everyone was here. A few seconds of silence, and a conch horn blew off in the distance. "Cabin six, fall in!" We marched toward the dining pavilion in complete unison.

Our cabin sat down in the middle of the pavilion at cabin six's table. It was a normal dinner, nothing odd about it, but something felt…wrong. I looked at Chiron, and I could tell he knew something was going to happen, too.

Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised his glass. "To the gods!"

We all raised our glasses. "To the gods!" we cheered. Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food. I scooped myself some bread, cheeses, fruits, and smoked brisket. To my glass, I said, "Lemonade." Then I got up and headed to the fire in the middle of the pavilion. I put in three of my juiciest blueberries, and a piece of my roll. I said a silent prayer to my mom. _Help me with Percy's dad, and the summer solstice, and… just, please help me. _I went back to my seat.

After everyone finished up their meals, Chiron pounded is hoof again to get our attention, and Mr. D stood up with a huge sigh.

"Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag game is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels.

Cheering exploded from cabin five. _Ugh._

"Personally." Mr. D continued. "I could care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today, Peter Johnson." Chiron murmured something to Mr. D. "Er, Percy Jackson." Mr. D corrected. "Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

We all cheered and headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods, and ate s'mores and everyone just joked around. It was fun, but their was still an uneasy feeling about the camp. It only felt like five minutes, but soon enough our time was up down there, and we all headed back to our cabins. A few people stayed up and talked in our cabin, but most of us fell asleep, including me. As I closed my eyes that night, all I could see were his sea green orbs staring down at me, asking me all those stupid questions.

That night, I had a dream. I was back on Mt. Olympus, but it was different. There was a cold presence up there. Something bad. It didn't have the same happy feeling it did when I went there in the winter… or, as happy as gods can be. I stood outside the throne room. The voices inside were escalating.

_NO! _Zeus' voice boomed throughout the place. _Your son will not be spared, if he does not get the lightning bolt to me by the summer solstice. _

There was a shuffle, and I heard loud breathing. _You. _Poseidon. _You, will not __**touch my son! **_There was a yell, then an explosion.

I woke up in cold sweat. I looked at my alarm and saw the time: 2:34. Poseidon had a son? And the lightning bolt, summer solstice… I suddenly remembered Percy's murmuring about how something was stolen, and about the summer solstice. Could the stolen item be… No. It couldn't.

That morning, I gave Percy his first Ancient Greek lesson. Of course, I was right about his dyslexia, and how it would be easier to read Ancient Greek. After a few days, he could stumble through a few lines of Homer, without much trouble. He looked so cute when he got confused with… wait, what am I thinking? I banged my head, trying to get the idea of him being cute out of my head.

The rest of the days, I spent wandering around the camp, thinking about my dream. Who was Poseidon's son? And was the lightning thief really stolen? Finally, Friday morning, after my lesson with Percy, I decided to go to Chiron.

I knocked on the door. "Chiron?"

"Come in, dear." I opened the door and stepped in. "What's wrong?" He asked when he saw the look on my face.

"I had a dream." He nodded, and motioned for me to sit down. He clasped his hands and said. "Tell me." So I did. I told him about the missing bolt, the deadline, Zeus' warning, and Poseidon's son. At the end, he just stared at the water in his glass.

"I see."

"Can you tell me anything?" I asked.

"One thing." He said. "The lightning bolt was stolen, and it needs to be returned by the summer solstice."


	6. Capture the Flag

**Heyyy, sorry the last chapter was so short. This one has a little Percabeth in it (: Comment and read please! I hope you like it.**

Ch. 6

Capture the Flag

After dinner, there was a ton more excitement then usual. It was time for capture the flag. The Athena cabin had made alliances with the Hermes cabin and the Apollo cabin, the two biggest cabins. Ares had made alliances with every other cabin. Thankfully, Percy was in the Hermes cabin, so I didn't have to fight to get him on my team. Sure, I had wanted him on my team after the toilet incident because I knew what he could do with water, but I also wanted him on my team for more… personal reasons.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" He announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands and the table was suddenly covered with swords, shields, knives, armor, everything you need. I grabbed a shield, and drew my knife.

"Blue team, forward!" Everybody cheered, and rushed forward. I saw Percy coming up from the reflection of the shield, and my heart raced, even though he looked ridiculous.

"Hey" he said. I kept marching. I was afraid, if I said something, I would end up saying something ridiculous.

"So what's the plan?" He asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"

My hand went to my pocket. Had he taken something? No, Percy wouldn't do that.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear." I said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

"Border patrol, whatever that means."

"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan." I forged ahead, leaving him in the dust. I assured myself that he would be fine, then marched forward. I had put him near the creek because of his talents with water. In the distance, the conch horn blew. Three reds dropped down from the trees, but I dealt with them easily, and moved on. I ran about a mile before I saw their flag. Before I could reach it though, I heard a shout.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed in the distance. _Oh no._ I ran back to the creek, just in time to see Percy getting pushed into the water by an Ares guy. I started to go to Percy, but I stopped, and put on my invisibility cap, so they wouldn't see me. Clarisse and her cabinmates went into the creek, but Percy met them. The first guy advanced, but Percy knocked him down. Then two more advanced. Percy slammed one in the face with his shield, and cut the plume off the other one. They backed up. The fourth one stopped advancing, but Clarisse kept advancing. She thrust her spear forward, but Percy was ready. He trapped her spear in between his sword and shield, and snapped it like a twig.

"Ah!" She screamed. "You idiot. You corpse-breath worm." She probably would've said worse, but Percy smacked her with his sword-butt, and she tumbled back into the creek.

I stared at Percy, his black hair hanging his face. Shouting came from our team, and people turned to look, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. I moved closer to Percy, until I was standing right next to him in the creek. I was about to take my Yankees cap off, but I heard cheering, and I turned my head to see Luke celebrating with the team. We had won. Percy was about to go over, but I talked.

' "Not bad, hero." I said. I was impressed.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" I asked, and took the cap off.

He was getting angry, I could tell. "You set me up." I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

I shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always, has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."

"I came as fast I could. I was about to jump in, but…" I shrugged. "You didn't need my help."

I noticed his wounded arm. "How did you do that?"

"Sword cut." He said. "What do you think?"

"No. It _was _a sword cut. Look at it."

The blood was gone. Where the cut had been, was a long white scar which quickly disappeared.

"I-I don't get it." He said.

But I did. Poseidon's voice rang inside of my head. _My son. _I looked at the creek he was standing in. Then I looked at Clarisse's spear, broken, laying in half. He couldn't be… "Step out of the water, Percy." I said.

"What-"

"Just do it."

He stepped out of the creek and immediately he started to collapse. He almost fell over, but I steadied him. And that's when I knew, that he _was _the son Poseidon was talking about.

"Oh Styx." I cursed. "This is _not_ good. I didn't want… I assumed it would be Zeus…"

Suddenly, there was a growl. A howl ripped threw the forest. The camper's cheering died. Chiron shouted, "_Stand ready! My bow!" _But in Ancient Greek.

I drew my sword.

Standing on the rocks just above us was a hellhound. And it was looking straight at Percy. No one moved, except for me. I couldn't let it hurt Percy.

"Percy, run!" I tried to step in front of him, but the hellhound was too fast. It lept right over my head and Percy stumbled backwards just in time. The hellhounds razor-sharp claws ripped away at Percy's armor. Then there was a cascaded of thwacking sounds, and suddenly forty arrows sprouted from the hound's neck, and it fell dead.

Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in hand, and a grim looking face.

"_Di immortales!" _I said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't… they're not supposed to…"

"Someone summoned it." Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, banner in his hand forgotten, no one cheering for him more.

Clarisse yelled_, _"It's all Percy's fault. Percy summoned it!" I clenched my fists. It was _not_ Percy's fault.

"Be quiet, child." Chiron told her.

We watched the body of the hellhound melt into the ground, slowly disappearing.

"You're wounded." I told Percy as I saw his wounds. I wanted Chiron to see what the water did to Percy, and I also wanted Percy to heal faster. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not." I said. "Chiron watch this."

Percy stepped back in the creek. Instantly, the blood vanished, and his energy returned. Some of the campers gasped, including me. There was a sign above his head, and it wasn't anything normal, like a caduceus, or a hammer, but it was a… trident. I was right. Poseidon's son was Percy Jackson.

"Look, I - I don't know why," He said, trying to apologize for the healing. "I'm sorry…"

But no one was watching his wounds heal. We were all looking at the sign above his head.

"Percy," I said, pointing to above his head. "Um…"

When he looked up, the sign was fading.

"His father." I murmured. "This is _really_ not good."

"It is determined." Chiron said grimly.

Everyone started kneeling, including me. A son of Poseidon… that meant the prophecy…

"My father?" He asked, talking about my comment.

"Poseidon." Chiron said. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

**Please, please, please, review, it really helps (:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the PJO characters.**


	7. Percy Is Offered A Quest

Ch. 7

I Am Offered a Quest… With A Son Of Poseidon

I put on my invisibility cap and fled from the scene. I couldn't watch. Seriously? I finally like someone besides Luke, and he has to be a son of Poseidon. I went back to my cabin and sat on my bed, lost in thought. I heard the door open, and I laid down, pretending I was asleep. Pretty soon, I was.

The next morning, I gave the Greek lesson to Percy, but I was distracted. All I could think about was how I needed to make a plan to get a quest… and I also knew I needed Percy. But I couldn't go on a quest with a son of Poseidon. I had to make a plan to get a quest.

It was less than a day later when I came up with a plan. I would tell Chiron my idea about how to save Olympus, and then I would go even if he said no. Genius, right? Anyway, I figured it was worth a shot to ask Chiron if I could go, at least.

But Chiron beat me to it. The next morning, I got back from the showers and saw Chiron waiting for me.

"Hi…" I approached cautiously.

"Annabeth." He regarded me. "Your brother told me you would be out soon.. Come with me." He trotted down the hill to the big house. We came to a stop and Mr. D looked up.

"Oh. It's just you." Mr. D said. I rolled my eyes.

"Put your invisibility cap on, Annabeth." Chiron said.

"Why? I asked, but did as I was told.

"Because. We're going to try to explain to Percy what is happening with the bolt, and the quest and such." Chiron folded into his wheelchair.

"What quest?" I hissed.

"We're offering the quest to find the lightning bolt to Percy." He said calmly.

"What?!" I screeched.

He turned his head. "You can volunteer."

I stomped my foot. "Fine." I said between my teeth. "I volunteer."

He chuckled, and turned his attention to Percy and Grover who were descending down towards us.

"Well, well." Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."

Percy waited.

"Come closer." Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

Lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder boomed, louder than normal, shaking the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah blah."

Chiron pretended to have interest in his pinochle, while Grover stood nervously off to the side, hooves clomping from side to side. I rolled my eyes. Satyrs were soo scared of Mr. D. I didn't understand why. He wasn't exactly the _scary_ type.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said. "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up your ashes and be done with a lot of trouble." I clenched my fists. As much as I knew this would never happen, I still didn't want to think about Percy being gone. I still liked him, even if he was a son of Poseidon. Mr. D continued. "But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion _is_ a form of harm, Mr. D" Chiron added.

"Nonsense." Mr. D said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D-" Chiron warned.

"Oh, alright." Dionysus relented. "There's one more option, but it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and dropped his invisible cards onto the table, turning visible. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Dionysus picked up a playing card and flipped it, turning it into a plastic rectangle. A security pass.

He snapped his fingers. The air bent around Mr. D. He became a hologram, then a wind, and then he was gone. Only the smell of fresh grapes was left behind.

Chiron smiled at Percy. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover." They obliged.

Chiron laid his cards down on the table. "Tell me, Percy." Chiron said. "What did you think of the hellhound?"

"It scared me." Percy admitted. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done… with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you except it?"

Percy glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

"Um, sir," Percy said. "you haven't told me what it is yet." Oh my gods.

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds have now reached the edge of the beach. It looked like they were coming straight for the camp, but that was… impossible.

"Poseidon and Zeus." Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable… something that was stolen, aren't they."

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

He blushed. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft." I blushed when he said my name. "And… I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it." Grover said.

"Hush, satyr." Chiron ordered.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!" Why would he want his best friend to go on a quest to his death?

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed, but it sounded nervous, like he wasn't sure this was really something he should laugh about it. "A _what?"_

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh." I snickered. Oh? What kind of response was that? It was still kinda cute though. I groaned silently. _Ughhhh_. I thought. I needed to stop thinking about him like that.

"Zeus' master bolt," Chiron said, clearly getting slightly worked up. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered off the top of Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen," Chiron said."

"By who?"

"By _whom," _Chiron corrected. "By you."

Percy's mouth fell open. I clamped a hand over my mouth to cover a giggle that has almost escaped.

"At least" -Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best, ' Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters, ' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't -"

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"But I've never been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron, Grover and I glanced nervously at the sky. You _never _say that about Zeus. Ever. The storm clouds seemed to get angrier, and thunder rumbled. They slowly started to close in on us, not parting around us, like it was supposed to. Sucking us in like we were in a building.

"Er, Percy…?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps _paranoid_," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam…" He looked at him as if he actually expected him to remember question thirty-eight.

Chiron was waiting for an answer.

"Something about a golden net?" He guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods… they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" I raised an eyebrow, impressed. I _did not_ think he was going to get that.

"Correct." Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along the proverbial last straw."

"But I'm just a kid!"

Percy," Grover cut in. "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you… Wouldn't that put a twist in you toga?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon - my dad - he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty- first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus' temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" He guessed. I rolled my eyes.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad." Percy repeated. Oh my gods. He really was hopeless.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus' wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and looked up at the sky, stunned. Some started to run towards shelter. Others just stood there, mentally pinching themselves, as if it was a dream and they would wake up soon. "So I have to find the stupid bolt," He said. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron said. "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus' property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." Chiron said, his expression grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago… Well, some of the lines make sense to me, now." I curled my fists. This was one of the only prophecy's Chiron wouldn't tell me what was going on. "But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why cant you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenged."

He swallowed hard and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Good reason."

"You agree then?"

Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encourage.

Percy paused for a moment. "All right." He said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin." I cracked a smile.

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle." Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."


End file.
